Countermeasures:  A Missing Scene
by TxBlueEyes
Summary: I loved the season premiere but I wished there had been more between Horatio and Eric.  So I added a missing scene.


"Don't move, Toller!" Eric yelled at the man on the ground. The look in the man's eyes said he was trying to decide how much longer Horatio would last and Eric wanted to make sure he knew Horatio wasn't alone now.

As Eric reached the two men, he was shocked at how bad Horatio looked. He had suspected that he had been hiding how badly he was injured but never guessed just how weak he was. Horatio's hand had a death grip on his gun but it was shaking so badly that Eric took it from him. There was blood on Horatio's shirt and his skin looked deathly gray. All Eric wanted to do was to get him to the hospital but first he had to take care of Toller.

Eric grabbed Toller's arms and held them behind his back. "Get up!" Eric tried to haul the man to his feet, his urgency evident in his voice. "Get up!"

"H, I'll be back. I'll be right back, H!" Eric said more for his benefit than for Horatio's. He felt guilty for leaving him there but knew he had no choice. He practically pushed Toller all the way to the black and white.

Ryan and Walter were standing by the Hummers watching the ambulance approach the landfill. They had called one for Melanie, she hadn't stopped shaking since they untied her hands. When Ryan heard Eric yelling at Toller to move it, he turned to see them headed for the black and white. Ryan met them at the police car, worried that he didn't see Horatio. He waited until after Eric shoved Toller into the backseat and slammed the door before voicing his concern.

"Where's H?"

"I left him where he caught Toller. He's really weak." He turned towards the sound of the approaching ambulance. "Send the paramedics. I'm going to wait with H."

Eric ran back all the way, his fear pounding in his ears. When he finally reached Horatio, he found him lying on the ground, blood soaking his shirt and each breath sounding as if it might be his last.

"I'm here, H. I'm here." Eric said as he knelt beside him and put his hand on Horatio's arm. "Help is on the way. Just hang on."

Eric hadn't been this scared since he had watched his sister being driven away in an ambulance. Horatio was his best friend and his brother. He couldn't lose him. He just couldn't. Why didn't he press him harder about going back to the hospital? He should have at least made him stay at the lab when they came for Toller. He should have…

"Eric?" Ryan called as he tried to lead the paramedics to Horatio.

"In here!"

The ride to the hospital was agony for Eric. Each mile that brought them closer also seemed to make Horatio's breathing sound more labored. But the sound that tore most at Eric's heart was the sound of Horatio calling for Marisol. Eric had been against his sister marrying Horatio in the beginning but it hadn't been about her choice for a husband. She couldn't have found a better man. Eric had been afraid she wouldn't focus all of her energy on getting well. He realized in time that it wasn't his decision to make but right now it just added to his guilt.

When they finally pulled up to the emergency entrance, Eric prayed that Dr Alexx Woods was on duty. She was every bit as brilliant an ER doctor as she had been the CSI medical examiner. Eric would feel better knowing she was taking care of H. But as they raced through the doors, another doctor came running towards them.

"What have we got?"

"Gun shot victim. He's lost a lot of blood and going…"

"Wait. This is the man I told not to leave here this morning. I told him it wasn't a good idea to leave. I told him he could die if he did. Is he done playing macho man so I can treat him now?"

Eric was about to tell this doctor that this "macho man" had just stopped a dangerous criminal from running loose on the streets. That it could have been someone he loved that Horatio had saved because he was so determined to protect his city. But before he could, someone else spoke up.

"Doctor, I'll take it from here." Alexx told him in a tone of voice that said she wasn't finished with him yet.

"Alexx, thank God you're here. H is in really bad shape."

"I know, baby. I'll take care of him." Alexx gave him a reassuring smile before leading the orderlies to an empty treatment room.

Three hours later, Eric sat in a hard chair beside Horatio's hospital bed. H didn't look quite as deathly gray and his breathing wasn't as labored but he was still unconscious. And Eric wouldn't feel better until he woke up. He felt like he would come out of his skin if he didn't get to move but he couldn't tear himself away from Horatio. What if he woke up while Eric was gone? Horatio had been there for him twice now and Eric couldn't do any less for him. There was some coffee out at the nurses' station, maybe he could just go get a cup and come right back. Or maybe he could just go look out the window…

"Eric?" It was the faintest of whispers but it sounded like music to Eric's ears.

"I'm here, H. You're gonna be all right."


End file.
